John Bullit transposes seismic recordings of the Earth’s vibrations into the range of human ears, to lift the deepest sounds of Earth into the field of human perception.

Mr. John Bullit, a sound artist, uses methods learned from an early career in geophysics, to record the Earth’s deep vibrations, convert them into audible sound, and create multi-channel sound installations in which it becomes possible to — quite literally — listen to planet Earth!

“The intent of this process is to bring into consciousness the Earth’s hidden subterranean energies: the rumblings of earthquakes half a world away, the buffeting of the ocean floor from storms far out at sea, even the twice-daily tidal pulls of Moon and Sun. In creating this listening experience I hope to provoke in the listener a series of potentially transformative questions: Why can’t I ordinarily hear these deep sounds? How does the significance of my own life choices and actions compare to the enormously powerful geologic forces operating within the Earth? What is my relationship to geologic time? If I am normally oblivious to the Earth’s own natural powers, with what else am I likewise out of touch? Are there similar hidden forces operating within me? Will the Earth remember me? Why am I here?”

John Bullit transposes seismic recordings of the Earth’s vibrations into the range of human ears, to lift the deepest sounds of Earth into the field of human perception.